IPL 2026 is faced by a political tempest as SRK is referred to as a "traitor": The BCCI ordered KKR to release Mustafizur Rahman of Bangladesh.

The Kolkata Knight Riders purchased Mustafizur Rahman for ₹9.20 crores last month during the IPL 2026 mini auction in Abu Dhabi. Interestingly, Mustafizur was the only player from Bangladesh selected during the auction.

The management of the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) has received a significant directive from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to remove Bangladeshi fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman from their team for the forthcoming Indian Premier League (IPL). Mustafizur, who had previously played for Chennai Super Kings and Delhi Capitals in the IPL, was purchased by KKR for ₹9.20 crore in the IPL 2026 mini-auction held in December of last year.

Mustafizur's admission in the 2026 Indian Premier League sparked a political uproar from several political parties and religious organizations. The current tense relationship between the two nations is the root of the political reaction.

Devajit Saikia, the secretary of the BCCI, told news agency ANI from Guwahati that the Indian board had ordered Shah Rukh Khan's co-owned three-time winners KKR to release Mustafizur. Interestingly, the left-arm bowler was the only Bangladeshi cricket player to sign a contract.

Saikia stated on Saturday, "BCCI has instructed the franchise KKR to release one of their players, Mustafizur Rahman of Bangladesh, from their squad due to the recent developments that are going on all across. BCCI has also said that if they ask for any replacement, BCCI is going to allow that replacement."

When did it all begin?
When Hindu spiritual leader Devkinandan Thakur questioned KKR's decision to purchase Mustafizur, calls for Mustafizur's dismissal began. Following that, Shah Rukh was referred to as a traitor by Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Sangeet Som, who claimed that Mustafizur's participation went against the interests of the country. Sanjay Nirupam, the chief of the Shiv Sena, had also asked Shah Rukh to take Mustafizur out of KKR's IPL 2026 team.

We ask Shah Rukh Khan to eliminate any Bangladeshi members of his team before they become a serious target. The ANI cited Nirupam as stating, "This will be for his own good and will also protect India's interests."

The IPL records of Mustafizur Rahman
Mustafizur is the only Bangladeshi player to play regularly in the IPL, second only to Shakib Al Hasan. Since making his IPL debut in 2016, the left-armer has represented a number of clubs, including the Chennai Super Kings, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Mumbai Indians, Rajasthan Royals, and Delhi Capitals.

The 30-year-old played for the Delhi Capitals in the 2025 Indian Premier League after replacing Australian batsman Jake Fraser-McGurk due to injury. Mustafizur, who has taken 65 wickets in 60 IPL matches thus far, is renowned for his cutters in the final overs.

Mustafizur Ajinkya Rahane, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Anukul Roy, Harshit Rana, Manish Pandey, Ramandeep Singh, Rinku Singh, Rovman Powell, Sunil Narine, Umran Malik, Vaibhav Arora, Varun Chakaravarthy, Cameron Green, Finn Allen, Matheesha Pathirana, Tejasvi Singh, Kartik Tyagi, Prashant Solanki, Rahul Tripathi, Tim Seifert, Sarthak Ranjan, Daksh Kamra, Rachin Ravindra, Akash Deep.